Feds' closed-door deal could ease development

The folks in Montana have let it be known for years that new residents were not welcome, and I can understand their feelings. But if someone owns property in Montana or any other state they are entitled to develop it in any legal fashion.

Here's another "closed door" deal of the Bush Administration and big business. Kind of reminds you of the "No Bid Contracts" in Iraq. It's a shame we have "NO" Politicians with a backbone to stop this. Bush is wanting to open up the Alaska Wilderness to his Oil Buddies and his time is getting short in the White House, so, expect more of this under the table crap.

It makes me sad expecially for the animals that live there. Where I live, we used to have all of this land where the Pinon trees grew all over. You could see jackrabbits and coyotes running. Now all you see is these big homes. Alot of the trees and plants were taken out.
One day we will all pay for mens greed.

For those of you that don't know. Plumb Creek Timber is a collection of railroad rights of ways deeded to Burlington Northern and other Railroads of the time by the land donation Act of Lincolns presidency Plum Creek was organized and spun off by Burlington Northern about 20 years ago. This action took place at a time other large timber companies began to move away from forest products and into real estate. These lands should have reverted back to our federal government upon the failure of the railroads to develop them. This is a crime against the working taxpayer in my opinion.

SAD! We have had a influx of houses built in our area. We used to have Pinon trees, rabbits and coyote's all over. Now all you see is torn out trees and huge homes being built that the people will only live in for a few months, sell and build another home.
They will realize when it is too late what the wilderness and empty land does for our enviroment. My grandchildren will pay the price.

I did not believe my contempt for the administration of G.W. Bush could become more intense. That is until I read this article about the administration's hostility toward the concept of environmental stewardship. Is it any wonder that more indigenous plant and animal species have gone extinct under Bush's tenure than all previous presidents combined. Money is more important than the preservation of life- disgusting.

Don't worry folks. When people start complaining about the bears attacking there dog. The bobcat ate fluffy. My kid was attacked it will drop the property value. They'll move out. Of course a few die hards will want to wipe out the wildlife as they forgot they moved into the bears home.

WE ELECTED THOSE POLITICIANS WE AS AMERICANS "WE THE PEOPLE" NEED TO STAND UP & SAY NO MORE WE CAN'T DEPEND ON ANYONE TO PROTECT OUR RIGHTS OUR LAND OUR ANYTHING NOT ANY MORE WE MUST DEPEND ON OURSELVES TO STOP THE RAPING OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE , CREATE PETITIONS TALK TO THE MEDIA ,TALK TO ONE ANOTHER.GROUP TOGETHER & PEACEFULLY PROTEST. WE HAVE A RESPONSIBILITY TO PRESERVE OUR LAND & THE WILD LIFE THAT LIVE THERE WE CAN'T KEEP ALLOWING THE DESTRUCTION OF ALL THAT IS GOOD THE EXCUSE THAT IT'S THE GOVERNMENTS FAULT DOESN'T WORK . WE ARE THE GOVERNMENT OR HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THAT?? THIS IS OUR LAND ,OUR WORLD THE POLITIONS ARE JUST PEOPLE WE HIRED TO MANAGE IT AND THEY ARE DOING A BAD JOB OF IT SO LIKE ANY BOSS LETS FIRE THEM AND START TO REBUILD. PEOPLE ARE LOSING THEIR JOBS HOMES & EVERYTHING THEY HAVE WORKED FOR THEIR WHOLE LIVES WE CAN'T KEEP THE HOMES WE NOW HAVE YET SOMEONE WANTS TO DESTROY LAND AND BUILD MORE. YES SIR THAT MAKES SENSE

Colusion between the current administration and their business partners at it's worce. Smoke filled rooms deals and the citizens of our country be dammed. November cannot come too soon to be shed of P. Bush and his big money friends.

I say we quit blogging and posting and get off our rears and start a second revolution in this country.

We have the same repressive, tax-gouging, self-interested politicians that Americans faced in the firsst American Revolution. Middle class America needs to take its majority and 'DEMAND' change, even it it means revolution!

Bush baby and his cronies should all (read 'all' current politicians) be removed, by force if necessary, before they ruin what's left of this country. Of course this message may not make it through the editors since basically I am advocating overthrowing the same government that is currently 'cracking down' on us trouble makers!

I suggest a new party, the American Peoples Party, that would rule by majority (you know, a democracy), where we can have rights and be taxed fairly and not have big-business (does anyone remember the term 'military-industrial complex) taking and taking while the government sits by and does nothing. This party would be open to 'all' Americans (not '?-Americans') who want to live in the great country we once were.

Let's leave the Middle East to themselves, along with Africa and any other country were they would rather kill each other than live peaceably. We have spent Trillions of our tax dollars over the past 50 years first bombing and then rebuilding other countries into industrial and economic powerhouses (Germany and Japan for example). Only to watch our economy turn to rubble, while the new economic and industrial powerhouses stand by and do nothing.

I am not advocating an isolationist attitude, merely a reality check that says we, as Americans, deserve to reap the rewards of our hard work, and quit giving out tax dollars to other countries and 'big-business/government'. Raise your hand if you think the U.S. military is going to stop Sunni and Shiites from killing each other, or one African tribe for killing another, or the Taliban from killing anyone. We close our doors to these people, and use only the force necessary to remind them, we want to live in peace, if you attack us, we will not invade, we will merely bomb you back to the stone age which is obviously were you would rather be in the first place. Close our military bases around the world, and spend the money on alternate fuels and technology to improve our lives intsead of people who have no desire to do anything other than kill each other.

The soap box is now waiting!

How did a former logging lobbyist become the overseer of the US Forest service? Sure he knows his forest, he knows how to tear down forests.

We are not nor have we ever been a democracy. We are a republic and we need to return to the constitution and follow it. But as long as you have the liberals and the greenies running things it will only get worse. You can all blame Bush but you should be looking at your congress and their shady dealings.

Hope we get this man and his cronies out soon and stop all this type of situations. Wonder what else they have done that we do not know about? They say bad things about McClelland but there will be others and the whole truth may never be known.

I don't know which was worse, the Clinton's or Bush. These backdoor deals have been going on for decades. We need to make changes in the Houses of our government also. 98% of them work for lobbyists. Ross Perot was going to clear out those boys wearing the $600 alligator shoes. If he would have been elected (and I think he really was) it would be interesting to see what would have happened. Thanks to the Clintons and Bush, our country has been sold down the river.

im not even from an area that rural and i know this is just dead wrong. you are going to tell me with all the homes in foreclosure and being built in other areas of the country the bush administration feels the need to tap into these lands??? just terrible

Many of us that live in the Intermountain West have tried to tell the various local officials for 40 years that most of these "stop development" folks were rich outsiders and that their efforts would have the exact opposite effect from what they thought would happen.
The more land that is taken from private ownership cuts jobs and makes the rest of the land more valuable. Finally these funny faced, never worked a real job, environmentalists are finding out that ranching and tourists and timber are good for the land and the people.
This is what creates the demand of outsiders to build in all these places. And blaming Bush is crazy. President Clinton locked up land and caused problems in Utah so immense that he would not even go to the state to announce it--the pay off was tying up vast quantities of coal (much like oil today) to benefit his foreign friends.
The results were predictable. As Al Gore suggested, raise the price of gas to $5 and people will find alternatives. Limit development and land use to the point that only the rich can build trophy homes is all that is left. It is the local economy that gets screwed along the hard working ranching and logging
families. Outsiders becomes the real estate agents, maintenance folks, and boutique store clerks.
Be very careful what you wish for!

Your congress is made up of self serving individuals that will do or say whatever it takes to get reelected. If you want to make a difference you have to let them know what it will take to get your vote. And if they go against your beliefs then vote for someone who thinks the same way as you do. Don't be one of the sheep and vote for someone just because you think that everyone else will be voting for that person. Leave race, gender and religion out of the equation.

AS A FORMER LANDOWNER WHO ESSENTIALLY HAD HIS LAND CONFISCATED (BANNED FROM DEVELOPMENT TO ITS HIGHEST LEVEL OF USE WITHOUT COMPENSATION) BY THE PASSAGE OF CERTAIN ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS, FOLLOWED BY A "MILLION" BUREAUCRATIC REGULATIONS, IT IS NICE TO SEE CONSTITUTIONAL PROPERTY RIGHTS BEING MINIMALLY RESPECTED. OF COURSE, I WAS MORE THAN WELCOME TO CONTINUE PAYING TAXES ON THE LAND (FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE FLORA AND FAUNA) THAT I WAS NO LONGER PERMITTED TO USE.
I "APPLAUD" ANY EFFORTS TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT "FOR THE GOOD OF ALL OF THE PEOPLE", SO LONG AS THE PROPERTY IS "PAID FOR BY ALL OF THE PEOPLE". I ALSO AGREE THAT "BACK ROOM DEALS" ARE A SAD COMMENTARY ON GOVERNMENT OPERATIONS, BUT, HAVE NOT HEARD OF ANY OTHER KIND OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS. ENJOY, TOM

As a lifelong resident of Asheville, NC and Western North Carolina I really hurt to see something like the happen elsewhere. The land here has been destroyed by developers and the politicians in their pockets. At what point does this type of thing stop.

I cannot speak for anyone but myself but governments ll over are the same, screw everyone for the sake of the governing few. Same thing with oil prices. The only ones getting any benefit from the continual price gouging are the oil companies and the governments. There is no need of oil being in the $150.00 a barrel category with no end in sight. Such a feeling of impotence to see the price at the pumps rising daily and hear politicians say there is nothing they can do. Get of your lazy butts and listen to the people who elected you and not the people who have bought you. What are governments going to do when people can no longer afford to commute to work and are forced to sign up "en masse" for welfare?

What would be useful in an article like this is who are the owners of Plum Creek? Where do they live? What other businesses do they control?

Plum Creek is a menace. They are attempting this same thing here in Maine. They are trying to develop a "recareational complex" around Moosehead Lake near Mt Katahdin. It is shameful that the Bush adminstration has a former logging lobbyist in that position. On July 5h WE THE PEOPLE need to let our duliy elected officials know how we feel about our open spaces that are being threatened. We are fighting Plum Creek here in Maine, let's have Montana join us in our battle. Yes, logging is not the way to make money but eco toursim is booming and there will no "eco" to have tourism for. Once development starts it is very hard to stop and once homes are built in less populated areas that will promote further commerical development as people will not want to drive any distances for their coffee, milk and steaks. Sprawl will spread whether the local residents want it or not.

Who in the world gave a job of overseeing the forest service, to a former lobbyist? They will push anything where they will get money for themselves. They have no right to decide what will happen to our national Forrest behind closed doors. The trees and all the Forrest help the air, give home to the wild animals. Now they want to convert hundreds of thousand acres of mountain forest land, to residential subdivisions. The animals will suffer and the country in general, so a few people with millions of dollars can have a big summer home.We are suppose to be going green, not cause more pollution, not take down trees that clean the air and give homes to the animals. Anything to do with Gov. land should be out in the open and the people should be able to have a voice in it. Mark Ray should have his job taken away from him, who ever hired him needs to look at himself also, but then maybe he did and is getting part of the payoff.

I wish people would stop voting for a political party and pay more attention to the person. Bush is not a good Republican, not a good American, not a good man. He is a liar & a cheat. I wonder what else is going on behind closed doors before he finally leaves office.

Let's see, the south is still reeling from terrible hurricanes, the midwest is severly flooded as no one has ever seen, the west and especially California is burning from thousands of fires most of which were started from lightning. Could it be that God is very angry with us for what we, in our greed, have done to his beautiful world that he gave to us to care for?